A Celebration of Life

My son the engineer….only John could pull off making Kait into a John Deere tractor for Maestro’s annual October Costume Party Gala last night. Tony London (DJ Maestro & his vendors) generously expanded his annual party to include a fundraiser for John & Kait’s long term needs. The idea for our costumes grew through laughter at the dinner table on Monday night to make our family into a seven-person costume called the Wanberg Farmily. From John morphing into an ear of corn, to Carolyn as a lamb, Daniel as a cow, Peter becoming a very legitimately looking chicken, to Anita in a farmer costume…to be normal would be so boring. A united front; we will enjoy life together. We will not lose the precious life we have been blessed with. We are going to be joyful, laugh and of course-look ridicules together. It’s rolling back into our life, redefining playful, sometimes only taking subtle baby steps…but each step worth the fight. Our resolve: Kait’s accident will not define us, grace and new mercies will define us. No loss of hope, but a redefinition of “be joyful always"(1 Thessalonians 5). If God has our best interest as part of His heartbeat, we are not victims. Being a victim is not Biblical. Our inner joy is unchanged. We claim a house built on rock; whatever happens we stand on solid ground, rooted in the authority and sovereignty of Christ.

The Wanberg Farmily

Have you noticed how courage and bravery is defined differently for every person? For some it’s jumping out of an airplane with a parachute, for some-bungee jumping from a great height. Others may see bravery in waking up each morning and facing their workday. I witnessed bravery and courage in a new light last night. For one young couple, it was packing gear into a car from Craig Hospital, driving to Broomfield, assembling an elaborate costume (yes, needing legitimate tools to assemble), entering a room full of loud music filled with people in crazy costumes dancing…and choosing to celebrate life. This is a party that they are familiar with, as in the past they had both attended in creative costumes sharing the season with their closest friends. This year, it looked different. The girl in a wheelchair, seemingly fragile and scared, all eyes on her, and John standing tall beside his wife, together. It seems like every week I am forced to redefine my definition of what bravery looks like.

Judging the costume contest.

The whole party was centered on her. One of the first girls to approach Kait said, “I’m so surprised to see you here.” John and Kait judged costumes, engaged in conversation, smiled and laughed…all the while exhibiting graciousness and shaky confidence; shaky, but authentic. Testing their newfound confidence with every old, but new experience. Behind her smiles Kait struggled with searing pain in her upper back, the late night hour- home by 11:30 (finally in bed at 1AM), the two transfers to a higher profile vehicle. This morning she woke up proud of pushing her limits, and thankful to have been part of the fun. Kait recently has been explaining to those who are near, “this chair is part of who I am now, it’s part of how I achieve freedom on this earth. It has to be.”

As a Dad, I’ve never been prouder of my son; I’m witnessing integrity and courage with every step. Watching them learn to function as a married couple, learning about how to resolve all the normal communication issues with a new marriage. John sees Kaitlin through the lens of Jesus & he is captivated.  -Tom